Provost Townsend Featured at Tribeca Festival in ‘Let Science Speak’

Published on September 21, 2018

“Let Science Speak,” a six-part digital short documentary series about the importance of science in our ever-evolving world, premiered Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and featured a segment with Colorado College Provost Alan Townsend. Townsend also participated in an opening night panel discussion that included environmental journalist Andy Revkin, Rep. Bill Foster (D. Ill.), the only Ph.D. physicist in Congress, and Johnathan Foley of the California Academy of Sciences.

The goal of the film series and campaign is to call America’s attention to the importance of science in one’s daily life, as well as to the damaging effects of censorship, and to help rally public support for scientists and the vital work they do every day.

­The documentary project, slated for a prime spot at the festival, tells the personal stories of six environmental scientists who are not only well known in their fields, but also have additional ways to make science personal. The goal of the project is to try to help shift the narrative about science and scientists, as part of broader campaigns to restore public trust therein.

“Chipping away at America’s solid scientific foundation means we risk losing much of what we hold dear. ‘Let Science Speak’ is a window into the fundamental humanity of science — and why we all should care about its future,” says Townsend.

Townsend, who joined CC in June as provost and professor of environmental science, says he participated in the project to help “do what we can to chart a more sustainable relationship between human progress and the environments on which we all depend.”

His childhood in Hawaii and Montana led him to a career devoted to understanding our changing planet, and what we can do to chart a more sustainable relationship between human progress and the environments on which we all depend. He is a highly cited author of more than 130 peer reviewed articles, and a strong advocate for academic engagement beyond the ivory tower. Watch the trailer and find full episodes.